The Malaysian Insight

PROTESTS calling on the government to do more to stem the rising cost of living, including cutting ministers’ salaries, will continue, Ketari assemblyman Young Syefura Othman said following a student rally in the capital last Saturday.

The DAP lawmaker said pressure on the government to take action must continue and added that protests could also be held in other states.

“Protests will not stop until the general election and I hope the people can see that our protest is peaceful,” she said at the Dang Wangi police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur where she was called in to give a statement.

She was among 11 people summoned by police today to give their statements over Saturday’s rally, which was held outside the Sogo shopping complex. In total, police have identified 30 people to be summoned.

On holding protests in other states, Young Syefura said the ones held so far had been done in Kuala Lumpur out of convenience for the public to participate.

She was asked about comments on social media urging protesters to demonstrate in Putrajaya instead for a bigger impact.

PKR Youth chief Adam Adli, who was also summoned today, said young people will continue to make their stand until the government takes action.

“We are not voicing out political matters, but the problems the public are facing,” said Adam.

Another politician who gave his statement today, Bandar Kuching MP and DAP Socialist Youth chief Dr Kelvin Yii, said the government should stop intimidating protesters with moves to summon them for statements.

“Police have much more things to do than calling each and every one of us to give our statement.”

Yii also said cutting the salaries of ministers should have been done a long time ago.

“The government should realise we have one of the biggest cabinets in the world,” the trained medical doctor said.

On Saturday, police stopped around 80 university students who gathered in front of Sogo from marching towards Dataran Merdeka. Police eventually allowed them to protest in front of the shopping complex.

Among their demands, besides cutting ministers’ salaries, is for subsidies to be retained, control the price of goods, address food security and improved aid packages for the people.

Their protest comes as prices of food and essential items have increased in recent months, and as the government works at rationalising subsidies so that only the needy are targeted.

Saturday’s rally was the second time this month young people have protested. The first rally, led by student unions, was held on July 2 outside Central Market in Kuala Lumpur.

The organisers of the protest have dubbed themselves and the protest movement as “Turun” (meaning ‘to go down to the streets’) and hashtags with the word are being used on social media. – July 25, 2022.